Shade-roller.



' No. 846,192. PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

- J. EVANS.

SHADE ROLLER. APPLICATION nun MAY9,19Q6.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN EVANS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

SHADE-ROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed May 9,1905. Serial No. 259,5 73.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN Evans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shade-Rollers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shade-rollers, and has for its objects to produce a comparatively simple inexpensive device of this character in which the shade may be readily raised or lowered, one wherein the weight of the shade will automatically look the roller against movement, thus to maintain the parts in proper position, and one wherein the roller may be readily engaged with its supportingbrackets.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient means for attaching the cord-spool to the roller and to provide a simple and inexpensive guide for the rollercord.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more v fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a shade and its supporting-brackets embodying the invention. F i 2 is an inner face view of the left-hand bracket. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the righthand bracket, the roller, cord, and cordguide being shown by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is an inner end elevation of the winding drum or spool. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the guide member. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a roller composed of wood or other suitable material and having rolled thereon a shade 2 of usual form, there being attached to the left-hand end of the roller a circular disk-like head 3 and to the right-hand end a winding spool or drum 4, the outer end of which presents a comparatively wide bearing-face 5.

Attached to the window-casing or other support is a pair of brackets 6 and 7, of which the bracket 6 is arranged at the left-hand end of the roller and is provided with an inwardly-extending breaking surface or flange 8, curved to conform to the head 3, while the right-hand bracket 7 is provided with a similar inwardly-extending breaking surface or flange 9, curved to conform to and designed to bear upon the bearing-face 5 of the spool 4, Which latter has formed upon its inner end a' reduced extension or neck 10 of circular form in end elevation, adapted to seat within a correspondingly-shaped socket provided in the adjacent end of the roller 1.

The roller is equipped with pins or journals 11, preferably in the form of suitable lengths of heavy-gaged wire or light-gaged rod-ironhaving inner-sharpened ends and driven into the ends of the roller, the head 3 and spool 4 being provided with central openings 12., through which the pintles or journals 11 are entered, while the brackets 6 and 7 are each provided with a centrally-disposed elliptically-shaped opening or seat 13, designed to receive one of the pins or journals 11, and with a radially disposed slot or opening 14 through which the pintles may be entered into their respective seats 13, it being noted in this connection that the slots 14 are inclined slightly rearward from the vertical and that the major axes of the elliptical seats 13 are inclined slightly from the horizontal and at right angles to the aXes of the slots 14, for a purpose which will presently appear, the

flanges being disposed at a point remote from the inner ends of the respective seats 13 and each arranged to intersect the line of the major axes of the adjacent opening 14.

Coiled or wrapped around the drum 4, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is a flexible operating member or cord 15, through the medium of which the roller may be rotated in either direction for winding or unwinding the shade 2, said cord being guided in its movements by a suitable guide 16, preferably in the form of an elliptically-shaped loop formed at the end of a member or screw 17, adapted for entrance into and for threaded engagement with the casing or other su port to which the roller-brackets are attac ed.

In practice the pintles 11 normally rest by gravity at the lowermost ends of the openings or seats 13, whereby the peripheral faces of the head 3 and bearing portion 5 of the spool will frictionally engage their respective breaking-surfaces 8 and 9, thus to prevent rotation of the roller, it being apparent that this frictional engagement of the parts will be effected through theweight of the shade 2 acting upon the roller. When, however, the cord 15 is manipulated for rotating the roller in either direction to raise or lower the shade, the pintles 11 will, owing to the relative positions of the roller and uide 16, as seen in Fig. 3, and the further fact that the cord is wrapped once around the spool, as seen in Fig. 1, be lifted or caused to travel to the upper outer ends of the seats 13, thereby raising the bearin -surfaces of the head 3 and. spool 4 out of contact with the breaking-surfaces 8 and 9 and permitting free rotation of the roller 1, as Will be readily understood, it being noted in this particular that as soon as the cord 15 is released the weight of the shade will cause the roller to automatically assume by gravity its normal position for bringing the bre aking-surfaces into contact with the respective bearing-faces 3 and 5, to thereby retain the roller against movement, as heretofore explained.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I produce a simple inexpensive device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view and one wherein the shade will through the medium of its own weight auto matically effect the breaking action to obviate accidental rotation of the roller, it being understood that in attaining these ends minor changes in the details hereinafter set forth may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is i In a device of the class described, a bracket having an elongated opening inclined upwardly and outwardly in a diagonal plane relative to a horizontal line drawn centrally through the opening and provided with a laterally-projecting flange disposed remote from the inner end of the opening and to intersect the line of the major axis of the latter, a shade-roller having an end socket, a winding spool having a reduced neck formed to enter said socket for attaching the spool to the roller, said spool being provided with a central longitudinal bore continued through the neck and with a bearing-surface adapted to contact with the flange, a pintle entered through the said bore and driven into the roller for fixing the spool in place, the pintle being projected beyond the outer end of the spool for engagement with the opening in the bracket, a shade wound upon the roller and acting thereon by gravity to maintain the bearing-surface and flange nor mally in frictional engagement, a flexible operating element wound upon the spool and operable for rotating the roller to raise the shade, and a guide member for the element projecting horizontally outward beyond a line drawn vertically through the bracketopening, whereby said element when manipulated will cause the pintle to ride upward and outward in the opening and lift the bearing-surface out of contact with the flange.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN EVANS. Witnesses:

GEORGE A. BURY, JOSEPH R. CowELL. 

